Expo on factory safety equipment opens today
Global clothing retailers' mega-exposition on building and fire safety opens today for the first time in Bangladesh, in a bid to raise awareness on the use of modern equipment.
“Many garment owners have misconceptions on the use of fire and building safety equipment. The exhibition is expected to address such issues,” said Mesbah Rabin, managing director of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of 26 North American clothing retailers and brands.
The two-day show, International Trade Expo for Building and Fire Safety, is being organised by Alliance and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, with support from Accord on Fire and Building Safety, a forum of 150 retailers and brands, mostly European.
International Finance Corporation, C&A Foundation and Elevate will facilitate the exposition to be held at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
The fair will help factory owners gather knowledge about fire-safety systems in the apparel sector that accounts for 80 percent of exports.
“The expo provides a unique platform to improve safety standards,” BGMEA President Atiqul Islam said at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday.
More than 50 stalls, including representatives from the fire service and testing institutions, are displaying fire and building safety equipment at the show.
A series of workshops on fire, building and electrical safety will take place on the sidelines.
“Our goal is to build awareness on modern safety equipment among the garment owners,” said Islam.
Three ministers and secretaries from the labour, commerce and foreign affairs ministries are expected to attend the inauguration today.
As part of a tripartite initiative, Accord and Alliance will inspect more than 2,500 out of the 3,500 garment factories, funded by international retailers; the remaining factory inspections will be carried out by BUET and funded by International Labour Organisation, Rabin said.
Retailers and brands, mostly from Europe, signed the legally binding Accord in May last year, after Bangladesh saw two industrial disasters—the Tazreen Fashions fire and Rana Plaza collapse.
In a separate move, 26 US retailers and brands formed the Alliance to inspect 700 factories.
The tragedies that took place in a span of less than five months took the lives of 1,240 people mostly garment workers, highlighted poor safety track-records with most factories lacking basic safety equipment such as sprinklers and fire escapes on every floor.
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